Relaxation Training to Decrease Pain and Improve Function in Adolescents With Cerebral Palsy

June 23, 2005 updated by: Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)

Efficacy of Relaxation Training

This study will examine the effectiveness of relaxation training for providing pain relief and improving physical and psychological functioning in youth with physical disabilities due to cerebral palsy.

Study Overview

Status

Unknown

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Chronic pain is a serious problem in many youths with disabilities. There is a growing body of research supporting the efficacy of relaxation training for reducing chronic pain in adults. Given this evidence, there has been a growing interest in determining whether these findings also generalize to youths with chronic pain. This study will address a significant gap in the medical literature by examining the efficacy of relaxation training for providing pain relief and improving function in youths with physical disabilities. The study will evaluate the effects of relaxation training on global physiological arousal, pain-site specific muscle tension, and perceived control over pain. Physiological arousal will be assessed via hand temperature and galvanic skin response. Muscle tension will be assessed via surface EMG biofeedback recordings before, during, and after each treatment session. Self-efficacy concerning pain control will be assessed via a modified Survey of Pain Attitudes and modified Coping Strategies Questionnaire.

Sixty youth (age range 10 to 20 years old) with spastic type cerebral palsy (CP) will be randomly assigned to either the relaxation training group or a distraction control group. Youths in the relaxation training group will be given eight sessions of autogenic relaxation training and will be asked to practice relaxation at home using audio tapes. Youths in the distraction control group will receive eight sessions of distracting story-telling and will be asked to listen to age-appropriate audio tapes of stories at home. Study visits are scheduled weekly for eight weeks. Average pain intensity will be assessed with a numerical rating scale. Secondary outcome measures include psychological functioning and pain interference with personal activities. Medical services utilization will be assessed by asking the parent or guardian about any medications taken by the participant, any illnesses or medical complications, any medical treatments received, and the frequency of health care visits. Participants will be assessed at 1, 3, 6, 9, and 12 months after treatment.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment

60

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Washington
      • Seattle, Washington, United States, 98195
        • Recruiting
        • University of Washington Medical Center
        • Contact:
        • Contact:
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Joyce M. Engel, Ph.D., OT

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

10 years to 20 years (Child, Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Cerebral palsy
  • Referred by the study physician
  • Chronic cerebral palsy-related pain for at least 3 months prior to study entry. The pain needs to have an average daily occurrence of 3 on a 0 to 10 scale, where 0 is no pain and 10 is extreme pain.
  • Primary language is English

Exclusion Criteria

  • Acute painful conditions
  • Cognitive impairment as determined by a score < 12 on the modified Mini-Mental Status Exam

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Joyce M. Engel, Ph.D., University of Washington

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

March 1, 2003

Study Completion

March 1, 2006

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

May 22, 2003

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 22, 2003

First Posted (Estimate)

May 23, 2003

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

June 24, 2005

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

June 23, 2005

Last Verified

April 1, 2003

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • P01HD33988-00606A1

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

Clinical Trials on Cerebral Palsy

Clinical Trials on biofeedback-monitored relaxation training

Search Similar Trials

Sponsors and Collaborators

Medical Conditions

Drug Interventions

CROs by country

CROs in Kazakhstan

Conditions

Rare Diseases

Drug Interventions

Dietary Supplements

Sponsor/Collaborators

Locations

Subscribe